What David (and the Lord) never said.

I read Psalm 51 and 32 in a devotional I’m going through and it was talking about the conviction of sin that came to David (seen so clearly in 51), and then the joys that followed as he reflected upon the forgiveness he had received (32). Since these psalms are likely both referencing the period of his adultery, plotting, and then involvement in the death of Uriah, we rightly understand that God’s forgiveness toward repentant sinners is truly great.

However, this incident and the record of these psalms seems to have been “boiled down” in some contemporary thinking to some inappropriate applications. Specifically, I’m thinking about how, when Christian leaders fall into very public sin but are then promoted for continued service in the Church at large or in a local congregation. In such settings, you often hear the argument, “Well, David committed adultery and murder, but God continued to bless him as king.” Similarly, I’ve heard the same defense offered by those who wish to defend the right of current and former political leaders to be entrusted with the support of Christians to wield authority.

While there are many lessons we can draw from these psalms (favorites of mine), I don’t think that this is one of them. In fact, while David reveled in God’s forgiveness, it resulted from the integrity of his repentance—he really was sorry, and he really sought God’s work in his life, and he never took it for granted. When professed repentance (”he said he was sorry!”) is not manifested by humility and changed behavior, we are not seeing equal situations.

In the devotional I’m reading, the author, Ken Boa, captured this well:

“David would be scandalized if he were to learn that people were using his failure to justify their own sin. His prayers of repentance show us what to do when we violate our commitment to God’s standards and want to re-establish our integrity.”

That’s what these psalms say to us. David was broken over his sin, not trafficking in “cheap grace” to say it didn’t matter anymore… Can fallen Christian leaders (or political leaders) be restored to (or entrusted with) leadership? With time (and fruit) to prove their repentance, such as confession, not covering up or making light of the sin, making restitution where possible, seeking forgiveness of those hurt, etc., their ability to serve can be restored, but perhaps never to exactly the same role or level of prominence. The longer I live, the less likely I am to argue for restoration without a long track record of fruitful repentance. After all, the fallen have fooled us before. Keep in mind that forgiveness of sin does not equal entrusting with authority or power.

I like Spurgeon’s words about restoring fallen ministers: “Let his repentance become as notorious as his sin.”